Clive Rice, robbed by South Africa's isolation of the chance to play Test cricket, chose the eve of England's tour to launch his blistering assault on the United Cricket Board. "It's apartheid in reverse. White players are being driven out of our country in droves. Good luck to them. There's no future here."

His comments are all the more remarkable because, according to Rice, freedom of speech is heavily discouraged. He says: "No one in the press is allowed to criticise the regime. Television commentators have to present a sugar-coated view of South African cricket when it's crumbling before their eyes. Once Sean Pollock, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs have retired, it's Old Mother Hubbard time."

Rice courted controversy two years ago when he said that South Africa's players should revolt after black all-rounder Justin Ontong was selected to play against Australia ahead of white top-order specialist Jacques Rudolph.

His latest diatribe echoes the feelings of Heath Streak and Henry Olonga about neighbouring Zimbabwe. Rice blames the current malaise on South Africa's over-eagerness to compensate for the inhumanities of apartheid.

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"The board have got it into their heads that there's a generation of black and coloured players straining at the leash to play Test cricket and that holding back whites is the only way they'll ever get a chance to shine. Wrong. Tiger Woods isn't a great golfer because he's black. It's because he's a great golfer. Nobody would welcome an influx of top-quality black cricketers more than me. We desperately need them.

"Unfortunately, few black South Africans regard cricket as their national game. They are more interested in football. Recently we were asked to find four black

cricketers from Pretoria to make up a representative team. We couldn't find four in the entire province. They talk about players from Soweto but most of them have been Kenyans imported to make it look good."

As captain of the invincible Transvaal side of the 1980s, known as the Mean Machine, Rice stayed loyal to South Africa through the barren years hoping they would be allowed back into the fold before he finished. Others, such as Tony Greig, Kepler Wessels, Robin Smith and Allan Lamb, found their international outlets in England or Australia. Rice says he didn't become a naturalised Englishman because he always "had the feeling" that he wasn't wanted.

The Test and County Cricket Board were worried about too many overseas players in the England team. Besides, Rice had a family business in Johannesburg. Despite owning a British passport, he never made himself available for selection. England's loss was Nottinghamshire's gain. Beneath the benign exterior was a hard taskmaster and supreme tactician as well as one of the world's leading all-rounders. He led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship in 1981 and 1987, also winning the NatWest Trophy in that year.

The end of apartheid came too late for him. He was 42. Though chosen to captain South Africa for a one-day series in India, he was jettisoned before the Test series against West Indies. Nevertheless, Rice ran the South African National Cricket Academy for four years during which he had a clear view of flawed policies.

He says: "A young black player was nearly killed because they insisted on promoting him beyond his capabilities. Poor guy couldn't handle the quick stuff. We literally had to rescue him. I warned the board never to send me a player like that again. Nearly a million pounds was poured into youth development in Gauteng Province but it didn't produce a single black prospect."

On behalf of the UCB, Moabi Litheko conceded that Test cricket was struggling in South Africa but insisted: "The quota system was dropped in 2002 because players like Makhaya Ntini resented being called `quota players'. I can assure you that our policy is selection on merit, whatever the colour or creed."

"Absolute bullshit," says Rice. "The system is heavily biased against whites. Young sportsmen are giving up on rugby and cricket for that reason. They're choosing golf or tennis instead.

"Why do you think South Africa are slipping down the rankings? We aren't much better than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, who are, frankly, pathetic. They call it Test cricket when it's no better than a series of charity matches. The public aren't stupid. Mediocrity chases crowds away – that's why our grounds are half-empty."

It was Rice who introduced Kevin Pietersen to Nottinghamshire. He is a South African with a British mother. Others are arriving under the Kolpak ruling – cricket's equivalent to Bosman. Since South Africa and several Caribbean islands have an associate agreement with the European Union, English county clubs can sign any number of South Africans or West Indians on work permits.

Rice is all in favour. "These chaps have a better chance of playing at the highest level with England than they do with South Africa," he says. "It doesn't matter that we lose them. It's more important that they get what they deserve and preserve the standards of international cricket."